@MarkMichell

Mark Michell

Ask me anything Follow
Ask @MarkMichell

Sort by:

LatestTop

Previous

Do you have a degree in anything? Do you think it's important to pursue a music degree like a masters or doctoral or maybe only to an extent or what?

I went to college for 3 years majoring in Computer Information Systems, and took a hiatus to work for a year in order to finish later, and then in that hiatus joined Scale the Summit, which is now a career altogether. Honestly, some of the best people I've known, worked with, or come across in this business never had a "degree" in their particular field; the music industry is more about experience than academics, however, a degree will always help to have a feather in your cap when looking to excel in the industry. I find 99% of music majors to be on the educational end, and are more looking to teach at an institution, which isn't really the "music industry". But to put it plainly, I don't believe a "music performance degree" will help a single ounce if you major in guitar and think that'll help you succeed as an original band. It'll make you really good at guitar and that's about it (which is still a great thing!)

View more

1
Liked by: Kabloogadie

do you like Adam Nitti?

Yeah, insane player. His piece "Fritter Boy" changed the way I viewed bass many years ago. I realized it could be a very suitable instrument for soloing tastefully.
2
Liked by: Garrett Miller

Related users

timrecio’s Profile Photo Timothy Recio
trekkiebass’s Profile Photo Clay Lindstrom
DanielAtbGooding’s Profile Photo Daniel Gooding
michaelwarming’s Profile Photo Michael Warming
AshiKaim’s Profile Photo marijuana
MitchelOfLeviathan’s Profile Photo Mitchel Gallop
mitchbakermusic’s Profile Photo Mitch Baker
AwkwardDorky’s Profile Photo Birdy❤️ ❤️❤️
Ehsan Maxwell Malakooti
RobertPercy’s Profile Photo Robert Percy
mynameissimba420’s Profile Photo Simba
chris walden
GJurado15’s Profile Photo Guillermo Jurado
likeayaresh’s Profile Photo Yaresh-Bartholomeus Soekhlal
ahmet_saracoglu’s Profile Photo Ahmet Saraçoğlu

How does it feel to be a wizard of the bass? And what are your thoughts on the way bass is slowly being pushed into the background throughout the years, sort of becoming a less noticeable instrument, instead of adding another layer to the music itself and grooving together with the drummer?

Ha, thanks, but definitely no wizard. And I totally disagree actually! The electric bass is a very young instrument and hasn't been around a fraction as long as other modern instruments. I think as time goes on, bass players are using the bass in a more versatile manner and doing things that sit in the spotlight of the composition a little more.

HAHA. okay so i'll ask you then. 1) what inspired the band to go do this 'adventure metal' approach, compared to the traditional (that even other prog bands use) intro-verse-chorus-solo etc. 2) why is the band not as heavy as it can be (not saying its a bad thing, i like it honestly)

It's not really an approach or anything like that. A friend of one of the other guys, I believe, used that term to describe the band's sound at one point in the past and it suited it well and seems to have stuck. He stated that the music felt like it took him on a journey and at the same time we use a lot of organic and sometimes nature-related imagery. Verses and choruses are classified by lyrical content...and we don't have lyrics. However, the song still have structures like that and are written as "songs", it isn't just a bunch of random riffs with no direction by any means. Things repeat all the time with motifs and reprises very commonly. And I feel we definitely have some very heavy moments, especially on "The Migration". I kind of feel like we're as heavy as we can be, because a harsh vocalist would really only be the element to escalate it more. We use heavily-distorted guitar tones just as any heavy band does!

View more

1
Liked by: DJ

What topics are you planning to cover in your new books? Jazz theory for bass? Left hand technique? Your autobiography "I Scaled the Summit and I Liked It" ? ;-)

Not sure just yet, I have lots of ideas though. If anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears!

I've been 'playing' bass for about a year now, but it seems like the way I'm headed doesn't have much success. Any suggestions on what I should do to truly learn how to play it at a proficient level?

There's no real magic answer for this, other than to stay inspired and motivated at all costs. A year into any new venture/art/hobby is merely the tip of the iceberg, takes years to perfect it. Learn your favorite songs, play with other musicians, and write music. And never give up!

i have a question about the overall music of the band and how it sounds the way it is. who should i ask?

Yo dawg, I heard you liked questions, so we put a question in your question so you could ask while you ask.
1
Liked by: Clay Lindstrom

Do you like Thank You Scientist? If so, what's your favorite song? And favorite part of there sound?

Yeah, they're a killer new discovery from what I've briefly heard so far, need to properly delve into their music more soon! Couldn't name a favorite or anything like that yet.
3
Liked by: Clay Lindstrom DJ Austin Averill

what's the deal with fanned frets? I'm not sure of their purpose.

Fanned frets allow the neck to have multiple degrees of tension, string to string. If you want more tension on the lower strings and less on the higher for instance. Simply increasing the scale length changes the tension for all strings, so fanned frets allow it to just change for certain groups of strings.

When are you guys coming through NY next? If it's after September I can get you some Heady Topper....

Oh snap. That's a Godfather offer...but seriously we'll be back this July/Aug, not sure about after September though!
1
Liked by: Nicolas Bombowsky

Mark, what are your thoughts individually on Ryan Martinie, Evan Brewer, Arif Mirabdolbaghi, and Dan Briggs? And also who were/are some of your inspirations coming up as a bassist?

They're all incredible bass players in their own unique ways, and I thoroughly enjoy the band that each of these guys play for. I've had the pleasure of getting to know Evan and touring with Dan in the last few years, and they're great people and inspiring players. I loved watching Dan rip it up each night with Trioscapes. Evan is obviously in a league of his own, and Arif/Ryan I haven't paid as close attention to as players, but rather have listened to their bands extensively. Growing up, I was into all of the great funk/session players from the 60's-80's, and when I got into rock/metal, I really idolized Geddy Lee, John Myung, Cliff Burton, etc.
1

My band plays in drop c# and I play a 4 string. I'm thinking of getting a 5 string and tuning that to g#. Do you think it's a good idea? And any advice on what situations to use it?

It just depends how the riffs are constructed; if there are a lot of open-string riffs, playing those in standard and fretting them instead might be pretty tough. If not, you could stay in standard and play them no problem.
2
Liked by: DJ Garrett Miller

When will we see you play some fretless? :)

I owned a killer fretless for years...1988 Japanese-made Fender Jazz (back when the necks were as thin as a piece of paper practically), and used it on my other band Tetrafusion's album "Altered State" on the track "Shadows". Only time I've recorded with it. I never really felt I used it enough so eventually traded it. Totally regret it, 100%.

Any advice for learning more complicated theory and applying it to bass playing? I know a small amount of theory from playing other instruments, but am struggling to intergrate it into my playing

I think you've got the wrong approach here...music theory should never be a guideline on what or how to play music (in my opinion), but rather just a way to understand what you're doing. I spent many years being limited by music theory; before I learned anything about it, I felt good about anything I wrote, regardless of how it sounded. Once I learned theory, I was handed a big set of guidelines that told me what I can't do. I think music theory should be used post-writing. Write something that sounds awesome, and then go back and figure out what it is later. Learning the notes on the fretboard is astronomically more important than theory, and I'd focus on that if you haven't already.
3
Liked by: Yaresh-Bartholomeus Soekhlal DJ R Joshua Durham

I just bought a '97 Warwick Corvette 6 string, and it is super heavy! What strap would you recommend to try and reduce the weight of the bubinga body?

LoganHixson’s Profile PhotoLogan Hixson
I hear you man..............................haha! When we start rehearsing for tours and then the first week or two of tour (after having not played standing up for months), I'm reminded of how heavy my bass is. For probably at least 6-7 years now I've used the same strap, a Fender/Levi brand, super-thick and wide leather strap. I'm still amazed how perfectly intact this thing is, and after all the shows and touring I've done since then there isn't even a remote bit of wearing or fraying. Best $60 I spent. Look into these, or just anything wide to increase surface area.
1
Liked by: DJ

I am not a proficient bass player but I live in a poor area and there are two kids here who have a desire to learn bass so I am wanting to show them videos/routines for technique, exercises, and how to get an ok sound with a cheap bass. If you or any people commenting know of a solid youtube channel

YouTube is full of excellent players with excellent videos...just search specifically for whatever technique you're looking for and filter by view count for a start, just to filter to the more popular videos, which are usually popular for a reason. And anyone commenting I'm sure know more specifics!

What do you prefer the tone of, your RB1001ii or your MB500? I'm looking into getting a GK head for recording and live use, but tone is my main focus as weight isn't an issue. Do you use your GK's direct? Bass -> Head -> Di or? Thanks Mark!

It's hard to say, I've never A/B'd them side by side in the same room/venue. The tone-shaping and EQ controls are a little different on each, with the 1001 having a little more options. I want to say the MB800 sounds a little better though, if I just had to intuitively recall from memory. Let's just say they sound the same though...one is 30 lbs, one is only 5 lbs! Obviously go with MB800.

why are there no drum videos in the StS channel?

Ask Pat!! There are plans to flesh a bunch out soon I think though! It's a little more extensive of a process with drums to do these.

Next

Language: English

4.1

1,266,418 reviews
© Ask.fm 2024